Excellence in Media Relations - International

Summary of work

Winner: Yervoy: Changing the face of melanoma

Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) entered the field of melanoma treatment with a highly innovative immuno-therapy, Yervoy (ipilimumab), the first and only therapy to demonstrate a significant improvement in overall survival in inoperable melanoma for more than 30 years.

An intensive pan-European and local country healthcare professional communications campaign was undertaken, involving 17 affiliate countries. This resulted in 2,146 pieces of coverage and over 600 million media impressions, almost 80 per cent of which contained three key messages or more, exceeding all campaign objectives. An information platform was created to support the future launch cascade of Yervoy into individual countries in a challenging economic climate.

Judges comments

This was terrific. The programme was really comprehensively planned and well-thought-through. It combined aspirational objectives with some lovely creative elements. Journalist attendance levels were really impressive. It set out to achieve and it exceeded expectations.

Stakeholder comments

EU public affairs director of oncology: The agency exceeded all expectations in what they delivered for Yervoy both in terms of quantity and quality of media coverage. Their ability to work tirelessly with thought leaders, top-tier media, patient groups and the BMS team, along with their exceptional attention to detail, was a testament to their professionalism. The results speak for themselves.

Health correspondent: It is difficult to understand a new area like immuno-oncology. I attended several BMS meetings and they played an important role in providing the best information in this area and explaining the benefits for patients with the new drug Yervoy.